When the computer starts beeping in the morning, it's so easy to just roll over and ignore it. Neither of us are morning people, and we have this unspoken agreement that when one person gets up, the other follows. The plan falls through today.

Kathryn and I talked until the early hours of the morning. I think the worst of it is over; it makes me smile to think that my father was right all along. Stories heal.

"Kath...." I murmur into my pillow.

"Mmmm...."

"We have to get up."

"We don't have to," she chuckles. "We could call in sick."

"Both of us? At the same time?" I roll over onto my back. "You think they'd catch on?"

"Never." She stretches, and I am beginning to see the advantages of playing hooky. I reach over and run my hand along her collarbone.

"I have two meetings with Tuvok today, Kath."

"I have to authorise the new astro-physics installations."

"I have six schedule appointments about room change-overs."

"I have to be in a meeting with B'Elanna and Seven." She props herself up on her elbows. "Beat that."

I laugh. I can't. "You win."

She flops back down again and moves over to my side. I begin to chuckle softly. She pokes my side.

More and more often as of late the captain had been putting Harry Kim in
charge of away missions. Quickly he dropped the berries he'd been gathering
and followed Neelix over the rough terrain where they had stopped to gather
food supplies.

"Get back and give her room," Harry pushed his way through the six crew
members whom he'd hand chosen for this mission and he and Neelix bent over
Seven's prone body. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure," Megan Delaney answered. "We were gathering plant samples
when she started convulsing."

"Seven to beam directly to sickbay," Harry ordered with all the confidence he
could muster, then he tapped his comm badge again. "Not those seven, damn
it."

* * *

"Chakotay." She tries to chastise me, but I hear the laughter in her voice. "She could have been seriously injured.

"She wasn't. And besides, there would be some nanoprobe solution." I laugh and she rolls her eyes.

"Come on Commander, get up." She sits up and uses her entire body to push me out of bed. I really hate it when she does that. "We've got a busy day ahead."